


Married At 25

by bowienarrow



Category: Arrow (TV 2012)
Genre: Arranged Marriage, F/M, Friends to Lovers
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2017-03-17
Updated: 2017-09-16
Packaged: 2018-10-06 09:50:30
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 9
Words: 18,275
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/10331945
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/bowienarrow/pseuds/bowienarrow
Summary: By law, all people must be married by the age of 25. After her mother arranges her one, Felicity is now Mrs.Queen, and has to deal with the changes in her life.





	1. Prologue

**Author's Note:**

> Hello, my friends!  
> I've written a few one-shots before, but that's my very first full lenght fic. I'm really nervous about the result so far, since I don't usually share what I write. But I really hope you like it!  
> Kudos and comments are welcome, but please be gentle!
> 
> xoxo

She's been dreading this day for awhile now.

Of course Donna would do something like that. Arrange her marriage, as if that was something she wanted. Ok, it’s not like she’s gotta a choice, it’s the law, but for God’s sake, she’s not even 25 yet, her fianceé is. She doesn’t even know his name. This screams trouble on so many levels that not even her genius intellect can completely grasp.

Again, it’s not like she has a choice, the law demands that she marries someone by the age of 25, and she never had anyone after the whole Cooper fiasco. Her logical mind knows that most of these matches are a success, even if she doesn’t really want to get married, she knows her mom would try to find the most suitable match for her, before the government does it for them, but a little warning would’ve been nice. The most ridiculous part? She’ll only meet her future husband on her wedding day. Who does that? 

Her mother, that’s who. 

She remembers clearly how Donna dropped the news.

“Oh honey, I have some exciting news for you! I found you a husband!”

“I’m sorry, what?”

“Well you almost at the the limit age..” Donna started.

“I’m 22.” she deadpanned.

“Yeah, I know, but it goes so fast you know? Today you’re 22 then suddenly you’re 25 and basically out of time. I know that after Cooper you didn’t really want a relationship, but it’s the law, and I think it’s time to let him go sweetie, it’s been 4 years.” the concern in Donna’s voice was her undoing. Her mom was right. But that didn’t mean that she was happy with the situation.

“Mom… I know you want what’s best, and you were trying to make things easier for me, but you should’ve told me. I would’ve helped you find someone for me, I’ve seen the data and I know that most matches are successful, I’m okay with that. I wish I had known tho.”

“Oh sweetie don’t worry about that, I have an old friend and we always said that if both our children weren’t married by 25, we would arrange for you two, which is much better than let the government choose for you. Oliver is a great guy, he was always the sweetest kid, and he’s about to turn 25.”

“So, his name is Oliver huh? And how I never knew about this friend?”

“You were too little to remember, before you father left, but I promise you, they’re a good family”

“Any chance you could give me his last name?”

“So you can do your hacking thingy and find everything about him? Not happening. Both of you are going to the wedding knowing each other’s names and that’s it. God knows you’re both stubborn. We just want what’s best for you.”

So that’s how she found herself on her wedding day, in a beautiful wedding dress, without knowing anything about her future husband, except that his name is Oliver, he’s stubborn and rich. Oh joy.

Still, she couldn’t help to be a little bit excited. She’s getting married. She not naive to think that she’ll fall in love with Oliver, that part of her died along with Cooper, but she hopes they can at least be friends. After all, they’re stuck together forever, might as well make the most of it, right? 

After the wedding, she’s moving to Starling City to live with her new family and her mom. She's scared to just change everything, but her new home is beautiful and imponent, with a massive garden that’s currently decorated for her wedding, and even if things don’t go the way she expects, she knows she’ll find refuge between the flowers. Looking at all that, she can’t help but think what would her 18 year old self say about that. Back then, she cared more for political statements and rebelling against the system than about marriage. Funny enough, the group she was a part of never once questioned this particular law, they just went with it.

Now she wonders if maybe they should. If maybe they should’ve questioned why. She may not believe she will fall in love again, but that doesn’t mean that other people won’t and that that will happen before they’re 25.

“Knock knock” her mom interrupted her thoughts “Oh baby girl, you look like an angel, a hot one at that, but an angel nonetheless”

“Thanks mom, that means a lot” she said with a lump in her throat, suddenly much more emotional that she was comfortable with.

“Moira said we have 10 minutes, are you ready?”

“Yeah, I guess, let’s just get on with it.”

“That’s my girl! Remember: deep breaths, chin high and I’m with you the whole time ok?”

“I love you, mom”

“I love you too, baby.”


	2. The Wedding

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Felicity finally meets her husband, but things don't really go as she hoped.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hey guys!  
> A couple things before you read:  
> While at their core our beloved characters are the same, I obviously changed some aspects of their personalities, but I hope not too much, and I don't even think you can see that much here. But I thought I should let you know. Also, I've made a couple of polyvore sets for the wedding, but just Felicity and Thea because I'm lazy like that hahahhaha  
> Right now, my schedule for posting is once a week, but that may change to fit time for writing a screenplay for my screenwriting class. I'll let you know tho.  
> If you have asks, suggestions or if you just wanna see pics of my super cute dog, follow me on twitter and tumblr!
> 
> xoxo  
> -G
> 
> Twitter: bowienarrow_  
> Tumblr: bowienarrow

[Felicity](http://www.polyvore.com/25_chapter_felicity/set?id=218884189)

[Thea](http://www.polyvore.com/25_chapter_thea/set?id=218884614)

 

_Deep breaths. Chin high. You can do this._

 

Her hands were shaking and she was pretty sure she was about to faint. Deep breaths never help much with impending sense of doom, even if you're somehow ok with the situation. It's laughable the number of times she was in the verge of panic in the last 5 months, yet she knew her mom had a point: marrying someone that you know is better than marrying a complete stranger per government orders. Only she didn't know much about the people she was about to call family, and she only had her mother’s word and reassurance, which sometimes wasn't much, since Donna made some questionable choices after Felicity's father left.

 

Still, she never met anyone quite as fierce as Donna Smoak, and the one thing she _always_ took seriously was her daughter’s happiness. So yeah, she's put her entire future in her mother’s hands. She's never been one to blindly jump and just roll with it, but for once, she's secretly glad that this decision wasn't in her hands, mostly because she didn't think she would be able to make this kind of choice.

 

The law was clear, and whether she liked it or not, she'd have to be married by 25. She always wondered _why_ did they need such law, being a naturally curious person, and the only information she could find on it was that many years ago something happened, nobody really knows what anymore, and the law was created as a result to prevent whatever happened to come to pass again.

 

She learned all about it at school: how they chose you a match, compatible genetically and around 50% personality wise. Definitely not the most reassuring of methods, but at least took in consideration your personality. That was something right?

 

Most people still preferred to arrange marriages on their own, or, if you were lucky, to marry out of love. It wasn't rare, but it wasn't common either. Usually the arranged marriage was between families that were good friends, most often than not having the children grow up together, so even if they weren't _in love_ , they were at least friends.

 

None of that were the case with Felicity. Sure, her mom said she was good friends with the groom’s mother, but why would she keep it a secret? Why never tell Felicity? When she asked her mom she was uncharacteristically guarded.

 

_“I don't really talk about it, honey. You were a baby, your father was still with us. Then he left, and I needed a fresh start. Moira was a good friend since high school times, we kept in touch, but she respected my need for space. When she called asking about you and if you were still single, I knew right away that she remembered our “deal”. I remembered Oliver being a sweet kid, and I couldn't say no.”_

 

So now, Felicity was walking down the aisle to a complete stranger. What if they hated each other? What if she was miserable for the rest of her life? At least she got a cool job in IT in this whole mess, Queen Consolidated was a great company and she was pretty excited to start.

 

_Damn, stop thinking about you job, you're about to get married, get it together!_

 

She heard the first notes of music, which meant that was her cue.

 

“Are you ok, baby girl?”

 

“Yeah, I'm just nervous”

 

“Hey, everything's gonna be fine. Everyone will love you, just like I do.”

 

The doors opened. Showtime.

 

The garden looked like a dream. A white chuppah was decorated with an assortment of purple and yellow flowers, as well as some twinkle lights. Felicity guessed that being sunset, night would fall by the end of the ceremony and the lights would give it an ethereal glow. Whoever planned this wedding was good. The ceremony itself looked medium sized, almost private, but with enough people to know that some weren’t really family or friends, more like acquaintances.

 

Only now she got a good look at the groom, who apparently was just as nervous as her. _God he's beautiful and… Awfully familiar… Wait, oh shit!_

 

_She's marrying her boss boss boss._

 

___________________________

Only her mother would think that Felicity marrying her boss would be a good idea. What’s even more baffling? How did she not realize it?! The clues were all there! Her mother is friends with _Moira Queen_. It seems too late to back out now, not that her mother would let her, if the way she increased the pressure in Felicity’s arm was any indication, but they will definitely have words, of the angry variety.

 

At the same time… Damn, he looks good. Which, duh. He’s been on every single hot bachelors list consistently for years now; she’s actually surprised that Moira would arrange a marriage with someone like her and not some heiress, daughter of some business tycoon.  Whatever is the story behind that, she sure as hell is gonna find out, she had the rest of her life for that.

 

_Snap out of it._

 

She’s a few steps away from him now, he looks tense but he gives her a sympathetic smile and extends his hand to her. As she gets to his side he lets outs a deep breath.

 

“Hi.”

 

“Hi.”

 

They turn towards the judge, ready to seal their fates together forever. Felicity guessed that she could’ve ended up with worst people. Being married to the big boss wouldn’t be easy or pleasant at work, but she had bigger things to worry about. Like, could they be friends?

___________________________

Everything went on without a hitch, until of course, the kiss. How she could forget about _that_ particular part?

 

Nevertheless, the time came, and they turned toward each other. She could see that Oliver wasn’t faring much better than her, still, he took her face in his hands whispered “Relax” and pressed his lips to hers. It was odd, kissing someone, _her husband_ , without knowing anything about each other and at the same time knowing they were stuck together forever. His lips were soft and his stubble tickled, but it was a good kiss, even if extremely chaste.

 

They held hands as they walked the aisle but as they were ushered to have some “private time” before the reception, which in reality meant “meet the family” time, he dropped her hand like it burned him. Well, that wasn’t reassuring. At all. As they entered the library, she couldn’t help but think it was impressive, so many books and she could read them all: being a Queen definitely came with some perks. The excited screech that came from her mom would’ve made her deaf if she wasn’t so used to it, but judging by Oliver’s wince, he wasn’t that lucky.

 

“Oh my baby girl, I’m so happy for you! And look at you Oliver, so grown up!”

 

“It’s been too long, Donna, you look lovely.” he seemed to genuinely like her mother, huh.

 

“Charming as always, Oliver. Baby girl, let me introduce you our new family” just now she noticed the two women and the stoic man behind her mother.

 

“That’s Thea, wedding planner extraordinaire” she said pointing to the girl that couldn’t be more than 19 and with features of a fairy. .

 

“That’s my old friend Moira, your new mother in law and her husband, Oliver’s stepfather, Walter Steele”

 

“It’s great to see you so grown up Felicity, you turned into a beautiful woman. Welcome to the family, dear” Moira said with a warm smile as she held Felicity’s hands, Walter just gave a warm smile and a head nod, not much of a talker then.

 

“Well, you’ve already met, but let me officially introduce you to your husband, Oliver Queen.” her mother held into one of Oliver’s arms and beamed at him.

 

“We already kissed mom, I don’t think formalities apply to us anymore. We’re kinda stuck together whether we like it or not. For life. I mean… Not that being married to you is a burden, I don’t even know you, I just know of you, and that you’re handsome, I may have sight problems but I’m not blind, you’re… wow. Really good genetics, let me tell you. Not that I’m coming onto you, because I’m not, like I said, we don’t know each other, but I wouldn’t not come onto you either… Please stop me, mom.” by the time she finished she was beet red and mortified.

 

_GREAT start. Just great. Ugh, why do I still open my mouth._

 

“I like her, mom. Good thing we’re keeping her.” Thea piped up behind them.

 

“Shall we let them have some time alone? I’m sure they have some things to discuss.” Moira was already pushing Thea out of the door, with Walter following closely behind. “Donna, let’s go, sweetie. You two have ten minutes ok? Then we have a party to host.”

 

“Don’t worry, mom. We won’t take long.” Oliver sounded all business and focused.

___________________________

“So, it’s nice to meet you, I guess. Sorry about the babble earlier, I’m sure you noticed I’m a bit nervous.” Oliver’s lips quirked up a bit but then he was all business again.

 

“Don’t worry, I just think it’s nice if we set some ground rules for tonight and for our relationship while we’re at it.”

 

“Don’t you think that maybe we should take more time, get to know each other and then set ground rules?”

 

“That’s the thing Felicity, I don’t really want to get to know you” _wow, that stung._ “I’m not looking for a relationship or a friend right now. Still, _we are in a relationship_ , an odd one due to the circumstances, so I think we should set all cards on the table. I want to be honest as much as possible, because like me you didn’t have much of a choice, and I want to be fair to you. I want us to at least respect each other.”

 

“That’s thoughtful of you… I guess. So.. Shoot, what are your rules?”

 

“We obviously have to go to some events together, but other than that, you’re free to do whatever you want. Just, if you’re going out, take Digg with you, he’s my friend and your new body guard, he’ll protect you from the cons of being a Queen. God knows that are many.”

 

“Okay…”

 

“You don’t owe me anything, but I think that if any of us decide to start a romantic relationship, we should let each other know, so we can take the necessary precautions. Like I said, you’re free to do whatever you want. But the repercussions if you got caught wouldn’t be good. So best be prepared. As for your job, I may be CEO, but our connection won’t interfere with your job, I promise. Do you have any rules I should know?”

 

“Not really, but can I ask you something?”

 

“Sure.”

 

“Why not be friends? I get not having a romantic relationship, I’m not looking for it either. But we’re related for the rest of our lives. The future seems a bit bleak if we’re not even on the same team, you know? And that’s not me being naive or anything, it’s just that it doesn’t make sense.”

 

“I know, but right now, I don’t want that. I may change my mind someday, like you said, we’re related for the rest of our lives. But I don’t want to lead you on, do you understand?”

 

“Yeah, I do.”

 

“Ok, shall we go greet our guests?” he said pointing to the door.

 

“Sure.” she let out a deep breath and braced herself.

 

_There goes my plans of being friends, I guess._

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hope you liked it! See you guys next week!


	3. Meet & Greet

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Things are a bit tense between the newlyweds at the wedding reception. Felicity meets new friends.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hey guys, new week, new chapter!  
> I was overjoyed with all the comments and kudos last week! It's amazing to see people excited about something that I'm writing, and I'm having so much fun! I have a policy of not giving spoilers, but I do try to give hints in the comments :)  
> This chapter is still one of the smaller ones, but they'll get progressively bigger, no worries.  
> If you have questions, you can ask me anything on twitter or tumblr.
> 
> xoxo  
> Gabby
> 
> Twitter: bowienarrow_  
> Tumblr: bowienarrow

The next hour passed in a blur of unknown faces, polite smiles and business talk. All of which Felicity never wanted to have on her wedding, and yet, here she was. The nervousness and slight excitement she felt earlier were gone: in its place, the only thing was sadness. She really hoped they could be friends, and that she would have someone that she could talk about the whole situation, Oliver was the obvious choice, but he clearly wanted nothing to do with her, and that hurt a bit.

 

For his part, he was acting like nothing happened: being a thoughtful husband in front of the others and with his hand on the small of her back like it belonged there. That kinda pissed her off. Sure, he maybe wasn't an actual dick for being honest, but it still was a dick move. _Why didn't he wait until after the wedding? Just let her have a nice wedding, damn it._

 

What’s his deal anyway? Whatever happened to him must be pretty bad for him to be like this. He didn’t even know her! How self absorbed someone can be to not realize that’s not how human interactions must go, _especially_ if it’s their wedding day, and, you know, they have to share basically the same space for the rest of their lives.

 

So yeah, from the outside it looked like they were somewhat satisfied with their match, but on the inside Felicity just wanted it all to be over. She was getting tired of the pleasantries and her cheeks actually hurt from faking smiles for the last hour. That was until she saw her new sister in law towing one of Oliver's best friends, Tommy Merlyn. Uh oh.

 

“Excuse me, I'm gonna have to steal my brother and my new sister in law for a bit Mr. Edson, first dance, cake and all that jazz, you know how it goes right?” Thea didn't even wait for the man to answer and pulled the newlyweds to the corridor with Tommy.

 

“Okay guys, Felicity looked like she was dying of boredom, so you’re welcome. Also, before he annoys me to death: Felicity meet Tommy Merlyn, Tommy meet Felicity Queen, your sidekick’s new wife.” Thea said with a grin.

 

“Hey! I'm not his sidekick!” Oliver said, trying to sound dignified but failing.

 

Oh nice, so he wasn’t opposed to keep his current friends. Maybe the problem was her? That was confusing.

 

“Keep telling yourself that, buddy. Someday you might believe it.” Tommy quipped “I wasn't a fan of this whole match with a stranger thing, but damn you look like a queen, Felicity, and the pun was definitely intended.” He then bowed, took her hand and kissed it.

 

_Maybe Oliver should take some lessons on manners from Tommy._

 

She laughed and returned the bow. “Well thank you Mr.Merlyn, it’s nice to meet you.”

 

“Introductions are made, we’ll have our whole lives to chat guys! So now, everyone to the ball room, we have a cake to cut and a first dance to be danced.” Thea said clapping her hands.

 

“Since when are you so bossy, Speedy? You used to be nice.” Tommy joked.

 

“Don’t test me, Merlyn.” she slapped him in the head.

_______________________________________________________

Even with the obvious strain between them, they had a nice first dance, Etta James’ At Last was a bit too romantic, but still a nice song. Oliver was good dancer, and was gracious enough to not comment or make a sound when she stepped on his feet repeatedly. The party stretched on after that: nothing really meaningful at the time, but Felicity was sure that she should probably remember some people that she met. In the world of the idle rich, connections came in handy.

 

As the party dwindled, Felicity finally felt like she could breathe. For a day that started at least a bit hopeful, it kinda lost it’s appeal _really fast_. Thea was definitely an amazing hostess: she had an effortlessness to her that only her mother could rival, that came from years of handling this kind of event and knowing exactly how to feed the curiosity of people. These were shark infested waters, after all.

 

She supposed that now she would have to learn to be like them. It seemed like the only way to survive the unforgiving bubble that money created, and to, somehow, live a relatively normal life. That new normal will certainly take some time to get used to, if normal was still a thing for her. How can you adjust to a lifestyle that you don’t think you fit into? Faking it until you make it? Just pretend you don’t care, even when everything is holding you down? How can one survive that when they had no idea where to begin?

 

Her mom couldn’t be more thrilled. If the only one good thing came from this union was her mom being happy again, she’d gladly take it. After her dad left, her mom was never the same, often making bad choices when it came to men. Not that it ever directly affected Felicity: her mom made sure to never mix her love life with her daughter. Still, when inevitably the relationship came to an end, Felicity was the one that picked up the pieces. She had every reason to resent her mom for being somewhat absent while she grew up and took care of herself, but she always saw how hard her mom worked to give her the best she could and how that was what her mom thought it was the best way to go about things.

 

Moira’s friendship with Donna seemed odd on paper, but when together, both of them had some of that youth shine of high school days again. Even if separated for years, the women appeared to have a strong connection, often presenting themselves as a united front during the party. The fact that both loved their children like crazy probably helped with matters, too. Most important of all, Felicity could see that her mom already made herself at home and no longer had the ghosts of loneliness that had taken up residence inside her eyes. She was finally free of the memory of her ex-husband. That made Felicity wonder what’s their history and how two women so different were such good friends. She made a mental note to get the story on that as soon as she had the chance.

 

The only people left in the mansion now were the ones that lived there, Tommy and the ones handling the clean up. _Finally, I can take my shoes off_ , she thought. She knew her husband wouldn’t care for “proper” conduct right now, so she just walked off to the closest couch, dropped there and took off her shoes. She gave herself a mental pat in the back for not even looking at him. She wasn’t gonna be hostile towards him her whole life, but right now, he deserved it, and well, he just didn’t care.

 

Thea approached munching on a few strawberries and a piece of cake, unceremoniously dropping beside Felicity and putting her feet on Felicity’s lap.

 

“Well Fee… Can I call you Fee?”

 

“Sure”

 

“Good. Well Fee, I’m beat. That was one hell of a party but a barely got to talk to you, so here’s my offer: me and you, a spa day, some shopping, sister bonding and obviously talking about whatever the hell my brother did this time. And knowing him, he did something stupid, if your sour face whenever you thought no one wasn’t looking is any indication.”

 

“Thea…”

 

“Look, I know we don’t know each other, but we’re family now, so I’m here for everything you need ok? That’s why I want us to hang out, I want to get to know you, because you seem like a wonderful person and I could really use a sister. Don’t get me wrong, I love my brother and Tommy (even if we’re not really related), but sometimes it’s just too much testosterone for me. So… will you give me a chance?”

 

Tears gathered in Felicity’s eyes. At that moment she felt so welcomed and wanted, something that she never really felt, not since Cooper. Unlike her brother, Thea wanted to get to know her, be friends, she didn’t want her to feel alone and that on itself was enough for her to decide that she _really_ liked Thea, and to hope that they indeed became sisters. Plus, she sensed that being friends meant just as much as to Thea that it meant to her.

 

“Yeah, of course I’ll give you a chance, Thea.” She gave Thea a warm smile.

 

“Okay, so as of now Sister’s saturdays are a thing. We’ll just do whatever the hell we feel like it. Spa, movie marathons, shopping, whatever! The only rule: no boys allowed.”

 

“I’m cool with that.” she said with a laugh.

 

“Great. Ollie will show you to your room, so you can get the rest you look like you need, then I’ll see you tomorrow for breakfast and I can help you pick your clothes for work on monday.” only then did Felicity realize that Oliver was standing near the entrance to the sitting room and he gave Thea a nod as she got up and left.

 

“Ready to see your room?” Oliver asked.

 

“Yeah, sure. Lead the way.”

_______________________________________________________

Oliver led her to what he called “their wing” of the mansion, which even had it’s own kitchen, not that it’s was used much, according to Oliver, but it was nice to know she wouldn’t have to walk such a long distance for a midnight snack. The mansion looked imposing in the sense that everything screamed expensive and she was afraid of even breathing near a vase. The paintings were all beautiful, even if she thought that they could use some brighter colors. Other than explaining the amenities and how to call for something, Oliver didn’t say much. A few moments passed and they arrived at what she assumed it was her door.

 

“Okay” Oliver took a deep breath and opened the door “This our living room of sorts, each one of us here have ‘their space’, like it’s own separate house, if you will. We have tons of guest bedrooms here, but Mom thought it was best if we stayed close, for us to get to know each other and get used to the whole marriage thing.” he paused for a moment. “So this is the living room, the door to your left is a master bedroom, mine, and the other one to your right it’s yours. You have a house phone in case you need anything and your clothes are already in the closet. Since tomorrow is sunday, Mom likes to have brunch at eleven, I thought I should let you know.”

 

“Okay” she answered in a flat tone, already going towards her room.

 

“Felicity.”

 

“Yeah” she said turning around.

 

“Look, I… I’m sorry if I made you uncomfortable ok? I really just wanted to be honest, and now I realize that maybe that wasn’t the best time.” he gave her look that made it clear that he definitely noticed her sour face.

 

“Don’t worry Oliver, I’m not exactly happy with how you handled things, but I do appreciate the honesty, I think. I’ll respect your wishes, even if I don’t really see logic in them. You do your thing, I’ll do mine.” she sounded much calmer than she felt inside. Truth was that she didn’t expect him to address the situation again and didn’t really want to talk about it.

 

“Okay. Good night, Felicity.”

 

“Good night, Oliver.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Twitter: bowienarrow_  
> Tumblr: bowienarrow


	4. Adapting

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Felicity's first day at QC and she has her curiosity peaked.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hey guys!  
> Posting a bit later than usual, but still on friday! yay!  
> I want to thank all of you for your comments, kudos and suggestions. I appreciate them a lot and it helps me grow as a writer, so from the bottom of my heart, thank you!  
> The last few chapters, you guys expressed your concern that maybe there will be cheating in this story, and I decided to break my no spoiler rule and tell you that no, there won't be cheating. I might mention as some backstory, but nothing of the sort on present time.  
> Last but not least, I'm taking time this weekend to decompress since it's my 21st birthday on sunday, so I'll be answering comments next week, and fighting my slight ocd about full inboxes. Wish me luck!  
> I hope you like this chapter and you can always find on twitter or tumblr!
> 
> Twitter: bowienarrow_  
> Tumblr: bowienarrow

[Felicity at QC](https://www.polyvore.com/married_at_25_chapter_felicity/set?id=219680897)

 

Felicity woke up determined to have a nice first day at work. She’d be working on her field and get to do stuff that she likes, shouldn’t be too hard, right? Except for the part that she’s the new Mrs. Queen and being married to the boss meant that everyone would be wary of her no matter what she did.

 

_ Cool, cool, cool, cool. I can do this, I got through high school, new job will be a walk in the park. Does Starling have parks? _

 

Since the wedding night, Oliver didn’t interact much with her, just the polite “good morning” and “good night”. His attitude raised some questions as to why did he say what he said, but mostly just left her feeling annoyed. He was missing some manners, that’s for sure. And while she was intrigued by the whole thing, she wasn’t exactly eager to be his friend anymore either, if he was going to be like that. She had enough to worry about as it was. Her sunday post-wedding was spent with the woman of the house, mostly Thea, who was obsessed with finding the perfect first day clothes. After brunch, her mom and Moira went to the gardens to catch up, but not without giving some opinions as to what she should wear.

 

_ “Baby girl, you gotta show what God gave you. That’s my opinion.” Felicity knew what her mom’s version of ‘what God gave to you was’ and she definitely didn’t think it was work appropriate, or appropriate at all. _

 

_ “Felicity, darling, if I may. Maybe try something sophisticated with a touch of youth?” Moira was certainly more in line with Felicity’s thinking, workwise. _

 

_ “Thanks guys, but I think Thea and I got it handled.”  _

 

Thea did really have good taste. A flamingo printed blouse, a black pencil skirt and some nude heels. Not the most wild of choices, but it was enough to make a good impression without drawing too much attention while maintaining Felicity’s bright personality. Felicity had very few fancy work clothes, but Thea promised that by the time they were done on saturday, her closet would be full of choices.

 

Breakfast was uneventful, with very few interactions. No one in the house was really a morning person, it seems. By the time she was done, Oliver had already left the table to make a few calls, but not before telling her that before they left, she would meet her new bodyguard, and one of Oliver’s best friends, John Diggle. She filled her thermos with coffee and packed one of Raisa’s croissants just because they were  _ that _ good, thinking that the sugar would help with the nerves also. She found Oliver and a man she assumed was Mr.Diggle waiting for her in the foyer immersed in a conversation that was apparently annoying Oliver and leaving Mr.Diggle very amused, not knowing what to do she just cleared her throat to get their attention.

 

“Felicity, this is your new bodyguard, Mr.John Diggle, he’ll be accompanying you from now on.”

 

“Mrs.Queen, is very nice to meet you, I heard a lot about you.” Mr.Diggle said shaking her hand.

 

“Did you? Because somehow I can’t imagine my husband talking about me. And please, call me Felicity, Mrs.Queen makes me feel old. Not that your mom is old, Oliver! She looks good for her age… which I realize now that I’m basically saying she’s old, again. but really, I mean no disrespect!” she said without taking a breath.  _ So much for trying to be sassy. _

 

Oliver showed a slight hint of amusement whereas Mr.Diggle was all out laughing.

 

“I can see now that I’ll never be bored. And please, call me Dig, or John.”

 

“Okay, John. Since you’re my new shadow/bestie, what are the rules? You don’t have to follow me to the bathroom, right? Cause that’d be weird.”

 

“Unless it’s absolutely necessary, no. Mostly I’ll just accompany you, make sure you’re safe, sometimes that might make you uncomfortable, but keep in mind that I have your best interests at heart. The rest of it, we’ll figure it out as we go, how about that?” Dig said with a warm and genuine smile. “Shall we go now? Something tells me that you, unlike your husband, likes to be punctual.” 

 

“Very funny Dig, let’s go.” Oliver said with an annoyed huff.

____________________________________________

She could hear people whispering as she walked past them.

 

Walter was kind enough to offer to give her a tour around QC when she arrived, and while earlier she was excited, now she was regretting her decision. She wasn’t always the most confident person and having people whispering behind her back on her very first day wasn’t helping.

 

The comments varied from innocent ones like ‘That’s the boss’ new wife’ to the mean ones like ‘The Queens couldn’t do better than  _ that _ ?’. She knew it wouldn’t be easy the moment she recognized Oliver, but she had hope that maybe that wouldn’t affect her as much. After all, unlike previous years, Oliver wasn’t one to be constantly on the gossip pages anymore, he kept a low profile, actually.

 

Other than that, the tour was all that she hoped for. She had a chance to get know other departments, and get a feel of the workings of the company. As Walter explained how things worked, her mind started bursting with ideas for improvement and she made a mental note of maybe suggesting them at some point to him.

 

Finally, she was introduced to her boss and shown to her office. It was small but cozy, with bare walls that she sure would give it some pop of color as soon as she got the chance.

 

“Well, Felicity, I must leave you now since I got a meeting in half an hour, but I do sincerely hope that you like it here.” One thing she noticed about Walter was that not only he was extremely polite, but he also made sure to express genuine feelings, opting to not interfere when he didn’t have an opinion.

 

“Thanks, Mr. Steele.”

 

“You’re welcome, dear. And please, call me Walter. If you need anything, just give me a call ok?”

 

“Okay. Thanks, Walter.” 

 

He waved goodbye and closed the door on the way out.

 

_ Okay Felicity, you can do this. Let’s show them what you’re made of. _

____________________________________________

“Knock, knock. Does the newest Queen have time for lil’ old me?” 

 

To say she was surprised to see Tommy Merlyn in her office would be an understatement. Since he was Oliver’s best friend and not contractually obligated to spend time with her, like Dig, she didn’t think that he’d spend any time with her, or try to get to know her. 

 

“Hi… Hm, what exactly are you doing here, Tommy?” she was confused, but he obviously had something he wanted to talk to her, if his hopeful expression was any indication.

 

“I was in a meeting with Ollie, then I remembered it was your first day and thought you could use a lunch companion. If you want one, of course.” he was fidgeting, it was kinda cute actually.

 

“This is not me being rude, but why? Why not go to lunch with Oliver?” she said narrowing her eyes.

 

“Well, Ollie is… difficult” she sensed hesitation, interesting. “And we didn’t really get the chance to get to know each other at your wedding day, but we’re sort of family now. I imagine that it must be hard to adapt, so I thought I’d make it easier by making you feel welcome.”

 

The little speech was oddly moving, making her feel a bit warm inside, even if she was still suspicious of his motivations. 

 

“When you put it like that… sure, let’s do lunch. Just nothing with nuts in it, I’m allergic.”

 

“Sure thing, I know the best burger joint in the city, you’re gonna love it!” he was already moving to the door and took her purse with him, the audacity! Nonetheless, she powered her computer down and followed him.

____________________________________________

Felicity, Tommy and Dig ended up in Big Belly Burger, eating burgers, fries and milkshakes. When Dig got up to talk to his sister in law, Carly, he gave a knowing look to Tommy. He looked uncomfortable with the older man meaningful gaze, but seemed determined to say something.

 

“Okay Felicity, maybe I had other reasons for taking you to lunch.” he said in one single breath.

 

“I imagined.”

 

“Did you? I thought I was pretty sneaky.”

 

“First of all, I’m a certified genius, it takes a lot to really fool me. But you were nervous, I just assumed you wanted to talk in private. So… shoot.”

 

“Ollie told me what he said to you after the wedding.”

 

“Oh.”

 

“Yeah, oh. Look, I’m not trying to pry or excuse his behavior, ‘cause he was an ass.”

 

“Yeah, he was. Like I said to him, I still don’t see the logic in it, I let it slide the night of the wedding because frankly, I have bigger problems than him being an ass. But that doesn’t mean I’m not mad about the whole thing. Okay, more like, annoyed, because I reserve my anger to people I actually give a damn, and right now I don’t.”

 

“That’s why I wanted to talk to you. I know it’s not my place, but I want to ask you something.”

 

“Okay?...”

 

“Be patient with him, Felicity. I know he was a dick, but he has his reasons and a good heart underneath all the dickish exterior.”

 

“What reasons?”  _ now, she was interested. What was the deal with Oliver? _

 

“That’s not my story to tell. But just... give him time, he’ll warm up to you.” he said with sigh.

 

“To be honest, Tommy, ever since he said he didn’t anything to do with me, I just decided to give him his space and figured if he wanted something he’d talk to me. Not that I’d make things easier for him, mind you. But I’m a big girl, don’t worry, I’m not looking to start bickering over stupid stuff anytime soon.” she looked deep into his eyes. “What I don’t understand is why are you talking to me about that, and why it seems so important to you.”

 

“Like I said earlier, we’re sort of family right now and I know how alone can be if you don’t feel like you fit in. We just met, but I can tell you’re a good person, with a good heart, and probably a very good friend if you want to. So, as family, sometimes it’s my job to look after my brother, and his much smarter wife.”

 

“So what? You wanna be friends?”

 

“Exactly.”

 

She sat in silence looking at him for a beat. Everything Tommy said was swirling inside her head, the mystery that was Oliver Queen seemed really interesting and she was sure that someday she’d unravel it. But right now, looking at Tommy’s open yet nervous expression, she knew that she found another potential friend. She never placed her trust easily, however all her instincts told her to trust Tommy and give him a chance.

 

So she did.

 

“Okay.”

 

“Yeah? So what should I call you? Queen? Smoaky, although that’s not your last name anymore? Fee? Licity? Ooooooh I have so many ideas” he said grinning like a maniac.

 

“Ugh, don’t make me regret it, Merlyn!”

 

Dig chose that exact moment to come back. He took a look at the two of them and smiled.

 

“Well, I see you’ve already fallen into his trap, Felicity.”

 

“C’mon Dig, back me up buddy, I’m an amazing friend, or don’t you remember your bachelor party?” Tommy’s smile was infectious, so much that Felicity, despite annoyed, was grinning too.

 

“I’d rather forget it, actually. Mostly due to the the illegal stuff.” he tried sound disapproving, but he was chuckling by the end.

 

“You know you love me Dig, don’t deny it!”

 

“You wish, Merlyn. Can I take my boss back to work now?”

 

“Ugh, don’t call me boss. It sounds weird, Dig. Just use my name.” she whined a bit.

 

“Sure, sure. Shall we get going or you wanna be late?

 

She let out a huff of irritation at the two, but well, she really didn’t want to come back late.

 

“Okay, okay! Let’s go! See you around Merlyn.”

 

“You too, Smoaky!”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Twitter: bowienarrow_  
> Tumblr: bowienarrow


	5. Sister's Saturday

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Thea and Felicity bond. Felicity gets some answers about Oliver.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hey guys!  
> New chapter, yaaay!  
> First of all, Happy Easter, hope you all eat good food this weekend and have some fun!  
> Thea and Felicity finally get to go out in this one! I've been waiting for a long time to post this :)  
> Thanks for all the comments and kudos, they mean a lot!  
> Hope you like this chapter, it was a lot of fun, and also I finally got to write some backstory, that hopefully will start shaping the characters going foward...
> 
> xoxo

[Felicity](http://www.polyvore.com/married_at_25_chapter_sisters/set?id=220079148)

[Thea](http://www.polyvore.com/cgi/set?.locale=pt-br&id=220080065)

 

“RISE AND SHINE SLEEPY HEAD!” Thea’s screams echoed Felicity’s bedroom. The girl truly had powerful pipes.

 

“Damn it, Thea! What’s happening?” Felicity was already rubbing her eyes, trying to lift the fog of confusion, and taming her bed head as best as she could.

 

“It’s saturday, silly! Which means ‘Sister’s Saturday’!”

 

“So we’re sticking with the name, huh?”

 

“Of course we are, Fee. Gotta give things some identity, don’t you think?” Thea said with a smirk. “So get your cute ass out of the bed, take a shower, put on comfortable clothes, ‘cause we’re going to brunch, then shopping, then we’re having a movie marathon, whatever you choose.”

 

“Okay, give me 30 minutes and I’ll be ready.” Felicity said already going to the bathroom.

 

“Don’t make me wait too long, sis!”

 

The shower had the effect she expected, and cleared some of the fog of sleep that weighed heavily inside her head. The warm water soothed her muscles and gave her time, even if a bit short, to sort her feelings and calm her nerves for the day ahead. Every new interaction this last week required a bit of a mental pep talk, and spending hours on end with her new sister-in-law, that most certainly would grill her with questions, required an extra dose of preparation. She took her time drying her hair and applying her make up. Being a Queen meant having your face sometimes on gossip pages, as if being scrutinized at work wasn’t enough, but let it never be said that her makeup or hair wasn’t on point, she took a lot of pride on her beauty skills. They definitely didn’t come as naturally as her computer ones.

 

40 minutes later, Felicity was in comfortable clothes and ready to go. Since it was warm outside, she opted for ripped jeans, sneakers, a simple t-shirt and a light jacket. Thea’s clothes were very similar, still a bit more high end. She supposed that soon her clothes would be more couture and less department store, too. Not that she was complaining, who would, really?

 

Digg took them to a little café that honestly surprised Felicity, since she was expecting something more lavish from the younger Queen.

 

“Don’t look so surprised, Fee. Just because we’re rich, doesn’t mean we don’t appreciate good things, even when they don’t have a ridiculous price.” Thea glanced at her with a knowing look. She seemed to be good at reading people, even if she didn’t always let it show that particular attribute. Of course Felicity still didn’t know much about the younger Queen, however in the week that they’ve known each other, she could see that Thea was not only incredibly observant and sharp, but also very attuned to other people’s feelings. Picking up on the tension between the newlyweds during the party should’ve been a sign that the girl wasn’t as flippant about things as she tried to portray.

 

Thea was right. The food wasn’t only good, it was amazing. Felicity hasn’t tasted an omelette quite as good as this one, although, according to Thea, no one beats Raisa in the kitchen. The inquisitive look on her sister-in-law face gave her a pause. So she decided to just get on with it.

 

“Okay, you got question face. What’s up?”

 

“It’s nothing bad! I promise. I just want to know more about you. So… who’s Felicity Queen?.” the younger woman looked utterly cute, leaning her face on her hand and batting her eyelashes.

 

“Well, I’m a 22 year old, only child from Vegas, dad took off when I was really young, so it was always my mom and I. Went to MIT when I was 16, graduated summa cum laude with my masters degree at 19. I’m a genius, by the way. Worked a bit for Kord Industries in Boston, then went freelance when I moved back to Vegas. Now I work for QC. And obviously, am married to your brother.”

 

“Speaking of QC, how was your first week?”

 

“It was okay, I guess. No one’s really eager to befriend the boss wife, especially when she’s the CEO’s wife. My days would’ve been incredibly boring if it wasn’t for Digg. Other than that, the job’s nice, not really challenging, but with all the changes my life’s been through, I’m glad I still have my computers and my job to keep me sane.”

 

Thea gave her a sympathetic look and placed a hand over hers.

 

“It must be hard. I’m sorry, Fee.”

 

“Don’t be, I’m fine.” Felicity said with dismissive hand. “Let’s not focus on my work. So.. I told you about me, now it’s your turn. Who’s Thea Queen?”

 

“Hmmm, let me see… 17 years old, younger of two siblings, born and raised in Starling. Dad died when I was 9, and I’m currently attending Starling Prep. I’m not really sure about what I want to do in college, but maybe something to do with fashion. Oh, and I’m a billionaire heir and your sister-in-law.”

 

They talked a bit more about colleges and Thea’s options, but her eyes strayed every few moments to a boy having lunch with what appeared to be his grandmother. It wasn’t until the 6th time Thea got distracted that Felicity decided to ask about it.

 

“Sooooooo… Who’s that boy?”

 

“What boy? There’s no boy!” Thea said with a nervous laugh.

 

“Oh yeah? So you haven’t been looking to that boy having lunch with his grandmother?”

 

“She’s not his grandmother.” Thea seemed surprised with the answer that spilled from her lips, and judging by her pout, knew she was busted.

 

“Okay. So, who’s he?”

 

“His name is Roy, he volunteers at one my mom’s projects. That’s his great aunt, he lives with her since his grandmother died a few years back.”

 

“And you and this Roy, are you friends?”

 

“Not really, we talk sometimes, and, at least to me, we hit it off quite well, but whenever I try to have him hang out with me, he says that I should not be seen with someone like him.”

 

“That sounds like a lot of bullshit.” Felicity scoffed.

 

“Right?! That’s what I said to him! But he’s really stubborn.” Thea sighed.

 

“I don’t know much about you two or your dynamic, but to me he just seems scared that when you get to know him, really know him, you won’t like him.”

 

“I already know he used to be a criminal, Felicity, and I still want to be his friend.” Thea glanced again at the boy with her heart in her eyes.

 

“Uh huh, just friends?” Felicity said knowingly.

 

“Well, I do have a huge crush on him. I mean look at those cheekbones! They’re amaaazing.”

 

“He does look like an abercrombie model, yes. Why don’t you just talk to him, when you visit the project and he’s there, just make sure he realizes that you like being around him, maybe that’ll make him have a change of heart.”

 

“Hm, that’s a way of approaching things. I’ll give it a try. Thanks, Fee.”

 

“No problem, that’s what friends are for, right?”

 

They changed subjects and enjoyed dessert until Thea decided that it was time to go shopping. And boy, the girl could shop! She dragged Felicity to store after store, with poor Diggle trailing after them, every time with a new bag in his massive arms. By the time they finished, it was after sunset, and Felicity’s closet was completely renovated and Thea approved. Felicity now had tons of designer shoes, clothes, bags and pretty much everything she needed for work and social functions as a Queen.

 

Both women were exhausted in the back of the town car while Digg drove them home, but even the level of exhaustion didn’t take the fun of the day. Felicity felt really good with herself, and she owed that to the girl beside her. She was so distracted with her thoughts that she didn’t see when they arrived at the mansion.

 

“Okay, you go change, put on some pajamas. Raisa is making us food for our marathon. I’ll go change and meet you at the TV room, okay?”

 

“Okay. Better get the Harry Potter ready!” Felicity threw over her shoulder.

 

“That’s my girl!”

_________________________________________________________

Movie marathons apparently were just as a big deal as other events at the Queen household, or so Thea said. The TV room was definitely amazing, as it was Raisa’s food. The space was cozy with plenty of pillows and blankets, a coffee table full of food, from chicken wings to popcorn and nachos, drinks and candy completed the set.

 

Sitting with Thea watching the adventures of the boy who lived, Felicity’s thoughts started drifting to her husband and to what Tommy alluded about him having ‘reasons’. She gathered as much after her first talk with Oliver: one wouldn’t have such strong resolutions if not for reasons. She just needed to know what were those reasons. Being his sister, Thea definitely knew what these reasons were, right? Would she answer if Felicity asked?

 

Wouldn’t hurt to try.

 

“Thea?”

 

“Yeah, Fee.”

 

“I had lunch with Tommy this week and he said something interesting.”

 

“Oh yeah? What was it?”

 

“Well, he told me to have patience with your brother, that he had his reasons. Which made question what are these reasons, exactly.”

 

“For me to answer that question, you gotta tell me what happened between you and my brother. I’m guessing he said something stupid, but just to be sure.”

 

“I… I came here wanting to be friends, you know? But when you guys left us alone that day, the first thing he tells me is that he wants nothing to do with me, that I’m basically free to have another relationship, he doesn’t even wanna be friends. I didn’t see the logic, so I questioned him why, he just said he wanted to be honest with me and that was how things were gonna be. He told Tommy, ‘cause he came to see me on monday and said he knew what happened because Oliver told him.”

 

“Yeah, that totally sounds like something my idiot brother would do. Look Fee… It’s not really my story to tell, but I think he’s not gonna tell you either way, and you have to know. It may have been 4 years ago, but people still remember and you have a right to be prepared.” Thea said with a sigh. “Okay, so you first have to know my brother wasn’t always so responsible, the tabloids kinda covered some of that, but a lot of it my parents kept out of the press. He had a girlfriend, they were always fighting, mainly because my brother was a dick to her repeatedly. But that was a stretch of time right before the accident that Ollie seemed like he’d changed, you could see he was trying. Anyway, one day he went out with her, he was driving her home, when they were hit by a drunk driver. Since the driver got her side, she died on the spot. Ollie survived but it was very touch and go for some time. When he woke up and found out what happened he just shut down. Cut off pretty much everyone. He did the therapy to recover the movement on his arm and dived into business school. He never got the chance to go the funeral. Since then there’s been no one." a beat passed. "Well, he's better now, at least on some aspects, if that's worth anything.” she shrugged.

 

Felicity ran a hand over her messy hair and let out a deep breath.

 

“Thanks for telling me, Thea.”

 

“No problem. Just maybe consider what Tommy told you. Please?” the young woman had her heart in her eyes and there was no way she could say no to her just then.

 

“Yeah, I’ll try.”

 

Thea gave her a lot to think. At least now she knew maybe why Oliver was the way he was, and well, she could sympathize. Felicity herself had gone through a similar phase after Cooper’s death. She still was. Oliver seemed like a nice guy, not really to her, but he seemed genuine in his affection towards his family which spoke volumes about his character to her. For now though, she was just gonna keep up with her plan to just live her life. She had a feeling that the only way to solve this was with time. It wasn’t like she was in a hurry anyway.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Twitter: bowienarrow_  
> Tumblr: bowienarrow


	6. Nightmare

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Felicity gets a glimpse of a more vulnerable Oliver.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hey guys, I'm back!  
> I'm really sorry for not updating sooner, but the Olicity goodness lately gave me a push :)  
> I've been feeling like crap lately and I had to take some time to myself, but I still took time to write. I was always really conflicted about this chapter since I'm not really sure it conveyed everything I wanted to, but I realized that I couldn't really go forward if I didn't put it out there. I truly hope you enjoy it!  
> Comments are appreciated, but be gentle, maybe?  
> Enjoy!

It’s been a month since the wedding and things seemed to have settled. Which way did they settle? Well, not any way, really. Just the good old middle ground. Granted, she hasn’t put _that_ much effort in anything besides being on top of her work, so she couldn’t expect much from other areas. _Especially_ human interactions, she sucked at those. Poor people that had to suffer through her nervous babbles. Maybe if she sent them a fruit basket they’d be willing to forget?

 

Oliver still hasn’t talked to Felicity more than basic stuff: ‘good morning’, ‘good night’, and a ‘have a nice day at work’, apparently were the only verbatim in his vocabulary. Which was fine by her, it wasn’t like it was making any difference on her day to day life. Other than that, he barely cracked a smile when she was around, which bothered Thea more than anyone.

 

_“I love my brother, but he’s being an ass! Why do you let him act like that?”_

 

They sort of developed a routine: they’d have breakfast with the family, ride to work together (in which Oliver would be utterly quiet while Felicity babbled away to Digg), they’d go their separate ways at work with the usual ‘have a nice day at work’, and at six they left for the mansion. Then dinner with the family and retreating to their wing, where they’d say ‘goodnight’ and go to their rooms.

 

It was completely boring.

 

At least once a week, besides Sister’s saturday, Thea would come do something with Felicity after dinner, whether it was watching tv, painting nails, or picking out clothes for the week, they just enjoyed their time together. She’d show up other nights too, but to spend time with Oliver. According to Thea, her brother may be an ass, but he’s still her brother so he deserves equal attention.

 

Work was as good as it could get. Nobody really dared to get close to her, so most of her down time at work was spent with Digg. In a really short time he turned into a good companion. He was wise and quiet, but never judged her due to her faux passes, which happened a lot, God help her. Just the other week, he started to show a bit of his dry humor, and told her a bit about himself. They had a similar upbringing in the sense that both didn’t have much growing up but still made the most out of themselves, in his case, that entailed joining the army, being a part of the special forces and serving the country.

 

For all the bonding they done the last month, they never really broached the subject of Oliver. One would think that being one of Oliver’s best friends, Digg would talk about him a lot, but Digg played things close to his chest and was adamant about not getting involved. _“By now everyone knows what an ass he was and I refuse to be involved Felicity, sorry.”_ He seemed to be extremely loyal to everyone he cared about, and that obviously extended to Oliver. She tried touching the subject once, to ask whatever the hell was Oliver’s problem, but the older man just changed the conversation.

 

So yeah, Oliver was still a mystery to her, one she was going to solve eventually.

___________________________________________

That was probably the worst day she had in a long time.

 

Absolutely everything that could go wrong, did. She spilled coffee on her skirt, the servers at work basically committed suicide, and her mint chip was gone. The only thing she wanted after the hell that it was work and non stop coding, was to relax eating ice cream while taking a bath. However, when she opened the fridge in her wing’s private kitchen, lo and behold, she already ate her way through her stash. Worst. Day. Ever.

 

At least she had wine. And pizza. A day like this begged for junk food.

 

Coming back to the mansion, Digg just wordlessly stopped by the pizza place and waited for her to buy her treat. The man had to go through the same hell as her, only ten times more boring since he was confined to her office with not much to do. He understood the need for it. She even bought Oliver one. His frown when she handed him the pizza was so confused it was borderline cute.

 

“Huh… why did you buy me pizza?”

 

“Just say thank you, Oliver.”

 

“Thank you, Felicity.” _Well, at least he knew that doing what the wife says it’s the best course of action._

 

So now, here she was, with wine, a box of pizza, ready to take a bath and exorcise this day out of her system. Her bathroom had the coolest bathtub she could imagine, and the jets always did wonders to her. With her netflix queued up on her tablet, things started looking up. As she soaked on the water, all her troubles were washed away. It truly felt like a phoenix rising from the ashes. If she could wax poetic about something in life, it’d definitely be anything that brought her relaxation and deleted the whole day from hell from her brain.

 

After her bath, she put comfy pajamas and decided she was going into sleep coma, the best way to recover, since her boss gave her the day off, she could finally enjoy a day in bed being lazy and catching up on her shows. All the work was getting in the way of her down time, and even hanging out with Thea regularly didn’t beat some moments alone to just… be. Until she fell asleep, though, Brooklyn Nine-Nine would be her companion.

___________________________________________

Distressed sounds roused her from sleep. Loud sounds.

 

Glancing at the clock on her bedside table, she saw it was still 3 am. _Where is this sound coming from?_

 

She decided to go out in the living room to search for the source of it.

_It couldn’t be a ghost? Could it? They’re not real, and even if they were, why would them haunt me? I’m a perfectly boring person. Aren’t I?_ _Except for that time in college… get it together!_

The loud whimpers were so full of pain, that she couldn’t help but want to soothe whoever was making them.

 

Once she got into the living room, Felicity caught a glimpse of Oliver’s door slightly ajar. She figured that the sounds were coming from him, since that was the only reasonable explanation, so she quietly tiptoed to his door and opened the rest of the way. Which seemed like a questionable idea, but she soldiered on.

 

The sight that greeted her broke her heart.

 

Oliver, clearly in the middle of a nightmare, thrashing and crying in his sleep and only one sentence came out of his mouth.

 

_“I’m so sorry”_

 

Felicity was frozen in her spot for a beat. _That used to be her._ Just after Cooper died, she had nightmares just like the one he was having. She’d wake up in a cold sweat, crying her eyes out and with shaking hands, until her mom came into the room, concern etched in her features, to hold her until she calmed down. For a moment she was drowning in memories, of how desperate and broken she’d been. How bleak everything was. She couldn’t see ten steps ahead of her back then and even now she had problems dealing with it.

 

Suddenly she felt the absolute overwhelming need to help her husband. For all his coldness, she knew he was a good person that deserved peace. She’d seen it: in the way he treated everyone in the family, but her. If she could help him find that, even in his sleep, she would. Even if right now he wasn’t exactly deserving of it, she just couldn’t bring herself to walk away.

 

Inching closer to the bed, Felicity finally noticed the frown that adorned Oliver’s face. A frown so full of pain and sorrow that she couldn’t help but stretch her hand to try to wipe it away. Why she did that she had no idea, but she sat beside him as she caressed his face until the sour face was gone. Lit only by the moonlight, her only thought was how he was almost unfairly handsome, with his scruff, long eyelashes and that kissable mouth. His all around perfect face, really. _You should NOT be thinking that._

 

She was so distracted that she didn’t notice Oliver opening his eyes. When he caught her hand mid movement, she let out a squeak of surprise that wasn’t really dignified. What squeak of surprise is really dignified? The fog of confusion cleared from Oliver’s eyes, only to be replaced with emotionless ones.

 

“What are you doing here, Felicity?” He didn’t seem mad, just… empty.

 

“I… I’m so sorry Oliver, but I heard distress sounds and came out of my room to check the source, then I saw you and… well, it seemed like a very bad nightmare, and I just… I don’t know. I’m sorry if I overstepped, I just couldn’t not do anything.” she replied with a defeated look.

 

Oliver had an unreadable look in his face that unnerved Felicity. _How is he so cool and collected all the time?_

 

“I appreciate the concern, but I’m fine. Why don’t you just go back to you room?” she understood a dismissal when she heard one.

 

“Yeah, okay, I guess I’ll be going. Good night, Oliver”

 

She was almost at the door when she heard.

 

“Good night, Felicity.”

 

With an awkward wave she closed the door and went back to her bedroom, even if her heart ached for Oliver, _he didn’t want her help, he wasn’t her friend_ , she kept telling herself, so the best she could do was to go back to sleep. The whole exchange gave her a lot of food for thought, and maybe made a her a bit mad that he still was being like this even when she wanted to do nothing but help. If she was lucky, she could make Digg spills some more details about Oliver’s backstory? She really wanted to know what was his deal.

___________________________________________

 

She wasn’t lucky.

 

It could be the name of her memoir, really: _The unlucky woman_. Of course Digg wouldn't tell her anything, stupid Felicity. Didn't hurt to try, though.

 

_“Digg, can I talk you for a bit?”_

 

_“Sure, shoot.”_

 

_“Yesterday, well… Last night I caught Oliver having a nightmare, and I got worried? Thea told me a bit about what happened with his ex, so I'm guessing the nightmare had something to do with that. It's just…” She was bit frustrated with herself for not being able to put it into words. “ I know what's like to have this kind of nightmares, and I want to help, I guess? No one should go through this kind of stuff alone, Digg.”_

 

_“Listen, Felicity… The thing about Oliver is that he doesn't wanna be helped, so there's nothing anyone can do.”_

 

_“But, Digg…”_

 

_“ Just leave it alone, Felicity.” His face was serious, she could sense that that was all that he'd say on the matter. So she dropped it._

 

_“Yeah, okay.”_

 

So asking Digg was a bust. Not that she was really expecting that he'd give her some insight, but her gut told her that that was more to the story that Thea told her. She didn't know how much, but whatever it is, it's bad, at least for him. Bad enough to still haunt Oliver in his dreams.

 

She just wished she could do something, anything. She knew she didn’t have to, but her mom always says that helping people is like a reflex for her, and even her cold husband applied to that, apparently. Not only because she was sympathetic, but also because her stupid mind just couldn’t let go of the idea that they _should_ be friends, even with all the crap he pulled and she didn’t know why. Like Spock, she’s all about logic, and for the life of her, she couldn’t understand his. And that bugged her. Mysteries need to be solved.


	7. C.E.O's Wife

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Oliver and Felicity have a business dinner. Stuff happens.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hey guys!  
> I've been m.i.a, I know, and I'm sorry :(  
> I was swamped with college and honestly, I've been struggling with this story mainly because it's been hard to find motivation to sit and dedicate my time to one thing. My attention span is the worst, really.  
> Anyway, I've been sitting on this chapter since march and please note that all things business are just me bullshiting my way through it :)  
> I'm trying to be more active on fandom stuff, so come talk to me on tumblr or twitter! 
> 
> xoxo 
> 
> Tumblr: bowienarrow  
> Twitter: bowienarrow_

[Felicity at the dinner](http://www.polyvore.com/cgi/set?.locale=pt-br&id=224216706)

 

It’s been three months since that night. Three months of radio silence, and all around coldness. Which was fine, that was how he wanted things to be, and she hadn’t been expecting much anyway. If continuing to be an ass was how he wanted to be, who was she to say anything? They never talked about that night, much less been around each other. Oliver started leaving the house earlier and leaving work after her, basically doing anything in his power to avoid her. Felicity, on the other hand, just got on with her life, work, the new friends Thea introduced her to, Iris and Caitlin; lunches with Tommy, and sometimes her mom and even Moira.

 

_Yeah. Cool. Okay. I’m not mad because he thinks I would pressure him into talking about it._

 

So of course she was beyond confused when he knocked on her door.

 

“Hey, can I talk to you for a second?”

 

“Oh, so you’re talking to me now?” being petty wasn’t her strong suit, but damn, he deserved it.

 

He at least was gracious enough to look chastised. _Good._

 

“Look, about the other night…” he scratched his head.

 

“Let me stop you right there.” she held up her hand. “ ‘the other night’? Was 3 MONTHS ago. So just cut the crap and tell me why you’re here.” Apparently, she was angrier than she thought. It served him right, as well, who did he think she was? Now he deemed that she was worth speaking to, because what? He wanted something? By the look on his face, he realized that it was best not to poke the bear.

 

“I just came by to tell you that we have a business dinner tomorrow with the Watsons. We’re leaving at seven. So you can take the afternoon off to get ready.”

 

“Okay. Is there anything I need to know about them?”

 

“We want them for the clean energy deal, if you want I’ll have my assistant send you some files so you get acquainted with the proposal. Oh, they’re probably gonna ask how the marriage is going. That being said, is probably for the best if you don’t mention that you hate my guts. Wouldn’t go well with our circles, and Mrs. Watson is known for her ‘comments’, so it’s best to watch out.”

 

“I don’t hate you, Oliver. I don’t even know you.” He gave her a blank face. “Don’t worry, I’ll try to help you close the deal, besides I can’t wait to work on this project.”

 

“I appreciate it, thanks. And Felicity, I...”

 

“Good night, Oliver.” she cut him off.

 

“Yeah… I’ll see you tomorrow, then. Have a good night, Felicity.”

 

“You too, Oliver.”

 

_God help her. How would they pretend to be fine?_

____________________________________________

 

The great thing about leaving work early? Getting pampered a whole afternoon. Every once in awhile, Felicity tried to take a day to herself, to do whatever the hell she wanted: read, code, do her nails, it didn’t matter, as long as she got to enjoy it. Today she had Thea’s help and boy, was she having fun. In a short amount of time she already considered the young girl her little sister, and couldn’t imagine her life without her. Said little sister currently held two black but incredibly appealing black dresses, with her lower lip sticking out while she tried to decided which one Felicity should wear for the business dinner.

 

“Okay, Fee. So, we have 2 dress options, i know they’re both black, but it makes your ass look amazing. And you know me, I’m all for highlighting the assets God gave you. As long as done tastefully. Which one do you like more?”

 

She didn’t really know which one to pick, so she just closed her eyes, spinned a few times and pointed to whatever direction she stopped. When she opened her eyes, fate or chance had made a decision.

 

“Hmmm… the left one it is.”

 

“Amazing choice, sis. Let’s start your hair and makeup.” Thea clapped her hands excitedly and hurriedly pushed Felicity into the bathroom. “I’m gonna make you look like a queen, and the pun was definitely intended.”

____________________________________________

 

Seven on the dot, they heard a knock on the door.

 

“Come in!”

 

“Hey, are you ready?” Oliver said peeking his head around the door.

 

“Almost, big brother. Give us 3 minutes.” Thea said shooing him out.

 

Oliver closed the door as Thea turned around to Felicity. “Okay, you look amazing, so don’t worry. You’ve spent the whole afternoon reading about our project and the Watson’s company, so you gonna be great, okay?” she said with a kind smile. “If it gets a bit too much, go to the bathroom and call me.”

 

“Yeah, thanks Thea, for everything.”

 

“Don’t mention it, Fee. Have fun tonight!”

 

Oliver’s reaction when he saw Felicity was priceless. As soon as she and Thea got out the room, he went still and a bit slacked jawed at the look Felicity presented: black dress, hugging her body at all the right places, hot fuschia heels, minimal make up and wavy hair flowing down like a waterfall at her shoulders, she truly looked like a queen. Thea, being Thea, couldn’t help the satisfied smirk that graced her features, but apparently decided not to comment. With a final wave she left them alone.

 

“You look beautiful, Felicity” Oliver said with honest eyes. It was probably the most emotion she ever had directed at her from him, and that unsettled her a bit. Which was why she stuttered.

 

“Thank you, you too.”

 

He offered his arm to her.

 

“Shall we go?”

____________________________________________

 

Oliver was right. The Watsons were definitely interested in their marriage.

 

The older couple were owners of the Watson Conglomerate, looking to expand the company to the more technological era. QC was the perfect partner with it’s clean energy project, and could benefit from the manufacture power of the Watsons. Mr. Watson was known as a cunning businessman while his wife was the gossiper of the rich. Quite the pair, if you asked Felicity.

 

“Oliver, my boy, how’s the marriage going?” Mrs. Watson asked. “I trust that with a lovely wife such as Felicity, everything is going well?” _Yep, she’s fishing for gossip. Great. Just awesome._

 

“Everything is great, Mrs. Watson. I couldn’t have asked for a better match.” Oliver said beaming at her. _Damn, he can act. Tonight is all about closing the deal, so we better be an united front._

 

“Yes, Oliver’s been great! Really, really attentive…” she clutched Oliver’s arm as she realized her double entendre “I mean, I’m not implying anything about our sex life, oh God, please stop me Oliver.”

 

Oliver was having trouble keeping a poker face, but his eyes shone with amusement.

 

“That’s good, after the accident everyone thought that he was hopeless, you know? Hell, even before! But I’m glad that he’s been treating you well, my dear. A few years back, nobody would’ve believed you, with his reputation and whatnot.” As soon as the word ‘accident’ left Mrs. Watson’s mouth, Oliver stiffened and held the hand clutching his arm tighter, trying to put on a smile and failing. Felicity squeezed his arm in support and he shot her a grateful look.

 

“Like they say, time is the best remedy, isn’t it? Shall we go sit? Ladies?” he was every bit a businessman at that moment, even if his shoulders were still tense and his smile nowhere to be seen.

 

Felicity couldn’t imagine what it was like to grown up constantly under the microscope and have every movement scrutinized. Oliver appeared to take it like a champ but she imagined that it probably made younger Oliver miserable, who would want to live like that? Even worse now, with people seemed to hold his past against him, when he publicly changed his image a long time ago. Why bring up somebody who’s dead, anyway? Even in a roundabout way, it was totally insensitive and slightly cruel. The subject clearly made him uncomfortable, and judging by how Mrs. Watson was looking intently at Oliver’s face, she just brought up to get a reaction. That solidified in Felicity’s mind the thought that while rich now, she never wanted to be like these old hags.

 

The dinner conversation flowed easily with idle chit chat. Once they passed the uncomfortable subject, Oliver relaxed and reversed to his charming business man persona, while simultaneously playing the role of attentive husband, be it with an arm around her shoulder, or playing with her hair, he always made sure to be touching her somehow. Half of her thought that maybe he was drawing comfort from her, since she supported him when he needed. After the main course, Mr. Watson went straight to the point.

 

“You said you had a proposition, Oliver. Let me hear it, yeah?”

 

“As you’re well aware, QC has a clean energy project in the works, Applied Sciences came up with cutting edge technology, as well as a software to manage it. Watson Conglomerate, while a big manufacture power, hasn’t really updated to current times. Being associated with a project like that would thrust you in the right direction, and open doors for future partnerships. As for QC, we could manufacture the whole thing ourselves, but it would take double time and money. So it’s a win win situation for all of us.” The confident and charming  way Oliver spoke made Felicity think that he could convince anyone to do anything he wanted.

 

“I have some concerns regards this ‘software’, I don’t know much about computers, but wouldn’t my company be vulnerable to online threats once it gets plugged in this managing system?”

 

Oliver was about to open his mouth when Felicity stopped him with a hand on his arm and a look of _let me handle it._

 

“Mr. Watson, I worked the kinks on that software myself, and while sadly nothing it’s entirely safe online, I can assure you that you’ll have the best program out there. It not only manages your energy: it balances automatically the levels of it by department usage, distributing evenly and cutting your expenses by 40%. Furthermore, it integrates your grid with other people using it, so whatever excess energy that would be otherwise wasted, goes to provide free clean energy to the Glades, which, correct me if I’m wrong, would not only be great marketing, but also cut a bit of your taxes.”

 

The Watsons seemed impressed with her little speech. Felicity herself was impressed that she managed to deliver a speech like that without going on a tangent or embarrassing herself, her husband or worse, the company in the process. Oliver just couldn’t stop staring at her.

 

“Well, Mrs. Queen, you certainly raises some interesting points. Glad to see you’re putting your MIT diploma to good use.” _Of course they looked into me, my privacy went up in flames the moment I said ‘I do’._

 

“My wife is remarkable.” Oliver had a proud look while never taking his eyes of her.

 

“Thanks for remarking on it.” she said with a shy smile.

 

“We’ll consider your proposal, Oliver, and try to have an answer as soon as possible. In the meantime, how about some dessert?” Mrs. Watson interjected.

 

“Oh, I’d love some chocolate cake!” Felicity said, relieved that she could help with something.

 

“Anything you want, Felicity.” Oliver had an unreadable look on his face, but his voice seemed sincere in his appreciation for her efforts.

____________________________________________

 

The cake was a bad idea.

 

Sure, it looked absolutely amazing when it was brought by the waiter, with all it’s fluffiness, layers of chocolate and perfect frosting, but as soon as she took a bite her throat started closing. _Oh shit!_ Her breathing picked up as she grabbed her throat and Oliver’s arm. It was getting harder to breathe, and her face felt like it was on fire.

 

“Oliver, help.” she croaked.

 

“Felicity? Are you ok?” he looked concerned. “Hey, look at me.”

 

She could hardly breathe and was starting to black out, _she needed her epi-pen._ She can’t die now, not like this.

 

“Allergy. Nuts. Epi-pen. Purse.” she breathed to Oliver, who was clearly panicking while holding her face in his hands.

 

“Felicity! Hey! Stay with me!” he pleaded while spilling all the contents from her purse on the table. He rummaged the contents until he found the epi-pen. “SOMEBODY CALL 911!”

 

She was almost unconscious when he jammed the thing in her thigh and massaged the spot.

 

“C’mon Felicity, stay awake, _please_.” he was breathing fast and shaking. “Stay with me, c’mon, c’mon! Felicity! Felicity!”

 

The last thing she saw was Oliver’s wild panicked eyes before everything went black.


	8. Sick Days

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Felicity goes to the hospital and Oliver starts to rethink some things.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hey guys!!
> 
> Sorry for the delay, I know I left you in a cliffhanger, but there was honestly no time to update since I was super busy with my cousin's wedding and my aunt visiting, etc. But now I'm back with a new chapter, and this time it has a bit of Oliver's pov in it, I hope you like it!
> 
> Come talk to me on twitter, I'll be freaking out this week with SDCC, probably lol
> 
> Twitter: bowienarrow_  
> Tumblr: bowienarrow

“C’mon Felicity, stay awake, _please_. Stay with me, c’mon, c’mon! Felicity! Felicity!” She closed her eyes anyway. “WHERE THE FUCK ARE THE PARAMEDICS?”

 

“Calm down, sir. We’re here, and we’re taking her to the hospital, ok?” the paramedic held up a placating hand and crouched down to Oliver’s level, where he was still holding Felicity in his arms on the floor.

 

He felt helpless. He needed to do something, to help, to _save_ her.

 

He watched as they loaded an unconscious Felicity onto the stretcher unaware of the curious looks of the other patrons. He couldn’t care less right now. _Fuck them._ He followed the paramedics out, climbed into the back of the ambulance and took Felicity’s hand in his. She seemed so fragile like that: with an oxygen mask, eyes closed, none of her usual spark present. He ran a hand through her hair and caressed her cheek. _Please be okay, Felicity._

 

Oliver wasn’t a religious man, but the whole way to the hospital, the only thing he could think was “please let her be okay”. Maybe he should’ve felt weird that suddenly, after months of keeping his distance, he was concerned for her wellbeing, but he always knew that if he let himself, he would maybe care too much about her, and he wasn’t sure how to deal with that. Right now, though, none of that mattered besides her being ok.

 

For the first time in a long while, he was happy for the Queen name. Everybody seemed in extra rush to make sure they were taken care of and that Felicity had the best care available. Dr. Lamb, the family's physician, came into the room and promptly started examining Felicity.

 

“Mr.Queen, good night, can you tell me what happened?” the doctor said in a professional but kind voice.

 

“We were having a business dinner, she said she wanted chocolate cake for dessert, then suddenly she was clutching her throat like she couldn't breathe. She said ‘nuts’ and started going into shock, I guess.” He ran his hands through his hair and glanced worriedly to his wife. “She had enough time to warn me about the epi-pen, which I administered, and then she passed out. Just please tell me she's gonna be okay.”

 

“You saved her life, Mr. Queen. Had it not been the epi-pen, she could have died. She only passed out from shock, but she's gonna be okay. We’ll run a few tests and I recommend she stays in observation for the night, and bed rest for a few days, but other than that, she's fine.”

 

Oliver let out a breath he didn't realize he was holding.

 

“Thank you, doctor. I'll make sure she takes it easy.”

 

“No problem. Also, I took the liberty to call your mother before coming to see you, I hope that's okay? The nurses said you were understandably distressed, so I assumed you haven't called your family.”

 

Oh! His family. How could he forget to call his family? Donna must be so worried! What's happening to him?

 

“It's okay. Thank you so much, doctor.”

__________________________

 

It could’ve been hours, but in reality, it was less than an hour since the doctor left, and Oliver couldn’t take his eyes off of her. Felicity’s hands looked so incredibly small when covered by his, still, knowing that she was gonna be okay left him more relieved than he ever felt. He was so consumed by his thoughts, that he failed to notice is sister standing by the door watching him.

 

“You care about her.”

 

He was startled not only by his sister’s voice, but also by her affirmation.

 

“Thea…”

 

“Don’t deny it, Ollie. You care about her.”

 

“I’m don’t want to talk about it, Speedy. Where’s Donna and Mom?”

 

“They’re talking to Dr.Lamb. Don’t try and change the subject, you may not want to talk about it, but I think you need it, so come on, talk to me.” Thea pleaded.

 

He let out a sigh. He always tries to be as honest as possible with his sister, especially since she always seems to be more attuned to his feelings than himself. It doesn’t make it easier, though.

 

“I just… I don’t know Speedy, I meant it when I said I didn’t want to get close to her, I really did. Then tonight when she looked at me, so scared, I just felt this urge to protect her, you know? She’s always so full of life, and I could literally see that slipping away. It was terrifying.”

 

Thea shot him a sympathetic look and placed her hand above his and Felicity’s.

 

“Oh Ollie, I get it, I’ve been worried sick since we got the call. Felicity just has this magnetic aura, that you can’t run from, not matter how hard you try. Above all, she’s one of the best people I know, and a really exceptional friend. Maybe it’s time for you to reconsider your whole stance on not being friends, you deserve good people in your life, and she’s the best. Just think about it ok?”

 

“Yeah, I will. Thanks, Speedy.”

__________________________

 

Her eyes and mouth felt as dry as the Sahara and her body was sluggish and weightless. _Where was she?_

 

She opened her eyes to a bright room and a slight pressure to her hand.

 

“Felicity? Can you hear me?” _Was that Oliver? Why was he holding her hand?_ “Felicity, talk to me, are you okay?”

 

He squeezed her hand and that’s when it came to her. Dinner. Nuts. Allergic reaction. Oliver’s panicked eyes.

 

She must be in the hospital then. Great.

 

“Oliver?” she croaked.

 

“Hey… How are you feeling?” he said passing a cup of water with a straw to her.

 

She sipped the water slowly while she pondered the question.

 

“I feel like crap.”

 

“Well, it’s understandable, given the circumstances, I would’ve felt like crap too.” he chuckled.

 

“So… How big was my mom’s freak out?”

 

“She was worried but I wouldn’t say she ‘freaked out’. She did give Dr.Lamb a hard time tho.”

 

“That’s sounds like my mom. What happened after I passed out? And where is my mom?”

 

“Donna went to get coffee and some clothes for you to change into when you’re discharged. As for what happened after you passed out, paramedics came, loaded you into the stretcher and brought you here.”

 

“Well, I guess it could’ve been worse.” she quipped. “Sorry for messing up the dinner.”

 

“Don’t worry about that. The Watsons send their well wishes, by the way.”

 

They stared at each other for a beat, acknowledging the unspoken truce between them, and shared a small smile.

 

“OH BABY GIRL YOU’RE AWAKE!” Donna hurried to Felicity’s side as Oliver gave her space.

 

“Hey, mom.”

 

“How are you feeling? Do you need anything?” she said caressing her daughter’s golden tresses.

 

“I’m fine, mom. Just wanna go home.”

 

“Well then, you’re in luck. Dr.Lamb said you’re being released this afternoon, but you have to take a few days off, okay?”

 

Normally Felicity would object, but she really did feel like crap.

 

“Yeah, okay, mom.” she smiled.

 

“Let’s get you home, then.”

__________________________

 

It’s her second day home and she already has cabin fever.

 

She definitely needed the rest the day before. However, spend the rest of the week doing pretty much nothing? That wouldn’t work. Especially when Oliver gave her boss express orders of not letting her do any remote work either.

 

What’s his deal?

Since when does he care?

 

The change in Oliver’s behavior hasn’t gone unnoticed. Tommy made sure to point that out when he came by to visit her and Oliver poked his head in her room to check on her before he left for a meeting. Which he postponed. So he could have breakfast. _With_ her.

 

“Wow, Smoaky, if I knew all it took for him to melt was you going to the hospital, I would’ve suggested it a looong time ago.” Tommy noted with a pensive look.

 

“Tommy!” she squeaked.

 

“What? I’m dating a doctor, and I’ll have you know, she very much ships you two, so it wouldn’t be hard to convince her to help.” he winked.

 

“Watch it, or I’ll revoke your friendship card, Merlyn!” she teased. “I’ll admit he’s being a bit weird and slightly overbearing, but I did scare him pretty good, so stop being an ass.”

 

“I’ll drop it, but just because it’ll be a fun anecdote for my best man speech at the wedding.”

 

“We’re already married, Tommy.”

 

“Build me a time machine, then.” he deadpanned.

__________________________

 

After Tommy left, she spent her day watching something or the other until she got bored and decided to hack, just because. Although illegal, there’s almost nothing as relaxing for her as hacking. Even after everything with Cooper and it’s painful memories, there were some things that just were a part of her.

 

Right around 7 pm she heard a knock on her door.

 

“Hey, can I come in? I brought dinner.” Oliver had a shy look and seemed hesitant.

 

“If it’s real food, and none of that healthy crap my mom has been throwing at me, please come in.” Oliver’s laugh was infectious and she found herself laughing too.

 

“I have pizza, and ice cream, a little bird told me your favorite is mint chip, did I get it right?” he held up two pints of ice cream.

 

“I think ‘pixie’ or ‘fairy’ is a more accurate description for your sister, don’t you think?”

 

“Probably. So… What do you want first?”

 

“Pizza please, although, the ice cream would probably melt.”

 

“Not if we put in the mini-fridge.”

 

“Wait… what?” _Mini-fridge? What on earth is he talking about?_

 

Oliver walked over to the TV stand, opened the left door and there it was: a mini-fridge. _Who the hell has a mini-fridge in their room?_

 

“Huh… That was unexpected.” she said, surprised. Oliver just huffed.

 

“See? We can eat our pizza in peace now.” he stashed the ice cream in the mini-fridge and walked over with the pizza box. She made grabby hands at it.

 

Oliver took a seat beside her on the bed and offered her a piece. Once she was munching on it she couldn’t hold it in any longer.

 

“Not that I’m complaining, which, now that I think about it may sound a bit like complaining, but why are you here?”

 

That gave Oliver a pause. She could see the cogs working on his head to come up with an answer.

 

“Well, you… I… I just wanted to make sure you’re fine, and Thea said that you were going insane with the healthy food and the bed rest, and that I should buy you pizza.” Oliver sounded deflated, like he expected that his actions wouldn’t be well received. “I decided to listen to her.”

 

Felicity didn’t know what to say: that was the most he talked since the wedding, and like she said to Tommy, Oliver must have freaked out with the hospital thing. She decided then to let him be.

 

“Okay. Thank you… You want to watch crappy TV with me?”

 

A beat passed before he answered.

 

“Sure.”

 

While the tv show they were watching was indeed crappy, Oliver seemed to be enjoying himself, often laughing at a bad joke or huffing when the action seemed impossible. What stood out the most for Felicity was that, for the first time, there was no animosity or cold waves coming from him. Which made her think about Tommy earlier comments about Oliver ‘melting’. Was that what it took for him to finally stop being a dick? She didn’t really care anymore for the state of their relationship, and it was exhausting trying to dissect every motivation behind every interaction. Still, something about him told her that they were more alike then both would like to admit, maybe, because just like her, he appeared a bit lost and in need of someone who understood what he’s going through, and her gut told her that they could be that person for each other, since that first day. And once she got something in her head, nothing could change it. Especially when her gut never once steered her wrong.

 

It was only after they ate the entire pizza and the two pints of ice cream that he spoke again.

 

“Felicity?”

 

“Yeah?”

 

Oliver gave her a warm smile.

 

“I’m glad you’re okay.”

 

Maybe bed rest could heal more than she thought possible. _Just maybe._


	9. Reminiscing

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Things progress for Oliver and Felicity.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> **taps the mic**
> 
> Hello, anybody still reading this story???
> 
> Hey guys!!! I'm sooooo sorry for the long wait, especially since i've been sitting on this chapter since FUCKING MARCH, but hear me out, okay?  
> I really like to be ahead at least 5 chapters when i'm writing so i can make changes if needed without compromising the flow of the whole thing, and my muse, well, my muse has been nonexistent for some time now. Also, my emotional state was mess, even more than usual, so i stuck with reading and didn't really take time to write. I'm the worst, i know.  
> Anyway, i got back into writing last week, so i hope i can be more consistent with my posts and make you wait less between updates.
> 
> As usual, you can find me on twitter, or tumblr, although i spend much more time on twitter these days.
> 
> I hope you enjoy what lies ahead!!
> 
> xoxo
> 
> Gabi
> 
> P.S.: I'm looking for a second beta, since my main one, besides being insanely busy with med school, doesn't really watch the show, and sometimes can't give me the kind of feedback i need. So, if you're interested, hit me up!!

In the week that followed her allergic reaction, things went back to normal, or almost normal. Donna was still fussing around her at every chance she could get. Thea spent waaaay too much time reading labels on food, to make sure none had nuts in it. Moira ordered a purge on the pantry to get rid of every nut left. Walter, bless his soul, let her go back to work on monday. And Oliver, well, was  _ weird _ . There’s no other word for it. After the night they shared pizza and ice cream he’s been considerably warmer, checking on her before going to bed, talking to her on the way to work, asking for her opinion on the Watson deal, which, despite her accident, was successful. Even Digg, who, per his words many moons ago, would not be meddling with the matter, had something to say wednesday morning.

 

“Are you talking to each other now?” he said when Oliver stopped talking about the meeting with Mr. Watson the day before.

 

“He’s been talking to me but I don’t know Digg, are you talking to me now Oliver? And when I say that, I mean, you know, regular basis?” Felicity turned to Oliver with an inquisitive look.

 

Oliver seemed flabbergasted.

 

“I… huh… You helped me close the deal and I… I thought you’d like to know how the rest of it went, but if you don’t want to, I’ll just…”

 

“I’m messing with you, Oliver! Relax.” Felicity gave him a little punch in the arm, cringed and then paused. “Too much?”

 

“It’s fine.” Oliver waved her off.

 

“I gotta say it’s an improvement from these last months, guys. The glares and tense silence were giving me headaches.”  Diggle joked.

 

“How’s Lyla? Back from her assignment yet?” Oliver was quick to change subjects.

 

That immediately caught Felicity’s attention. Although Lyla only left three months ago for an assignment for the government, she still hasn’t met Diggle’s wife. They weren’t really friends, at least from Felicity’s perspective, until a month ago, when Diggle had to pick up his daughter, Sara, at pre-school and have her stay with them the rest of the day. Diggle introduced her as “Aunt Felicity” and told Sara to be a good girl so her aunt could be the coolest and do her job. At that moment, she knew that having reservations towards her relationship with Digg were foolish. She had never had anyone have their kid call her “aunt”, much less with so much affection. Looking back, she could see that while Digg was reserved, he was always welcoming and supportive. She felt a bit stupid for not seeing it sooner, but she had never had many friends, and the ones that she had weren’t really that great. The thought that the new people in her life became not only friends, but almost as close to family, felt really weird and incredibly warming at the same time.

 

“Yeah man, she’s coming back next week. By the way, she wants to have a family dinner, and said you guys should come. Sara misses Uncle Oliver and Aunt Felicity, too.” Diggle brought her out of her musings.

 

“I don’t know about Felicity, but I’ll be there. It’s been too long since I last saw the little munchkin. How is she, by the way?” 

 

Felicity never saw Oliver excited about anything the whole time she known him, but she supposed that was no other appropriate reaction to the little sunshine named Sara Diggle. He was her godfather, after all.

 

“She’s doing good at school, always excited about learning new things, that one.” Diggle had a wistful smile on his face.

 

“Well, I’ll be there too, Digg, can’t wait to see little Sara again and finally meet the famous Lyla.” Felicity said with a smile.

 

“Great, I’ll text you guys the details.” 

 

“Should we bring something? Because unless you want to be poisoned, I shouldn’t cook anything.” Felicity quipped while Oliver quietly huffed.

 

“You can bring anything you want, but I’ll already warn you, Lyla will be in mother hen mode. That means way too much food. So maybe just bring your empty stomachs and some wine, you guys do have some good ones.”

 

“Wait… what? We have wine? Where?”  _ Has she really been buying her own wine when they have it at the mansion? _

 

Oliver seemed amused by her.

 

“We have a wine cellar, Felicity.” he stated like it was obvious.

 

“Really? Where?”  _ Oh if this isn’t some sort of paradise… _

 

“It’s by my mother’s wing, remind me to show it you where it is after dinner tonight, how about that?” She still was getting used to helpful!Oliver, but she wouldn’t pass this chance in a million years.

 

“Yeah, okay. Thank you!”

 

“Don’t mention it.” he waved her off.

 

____________________________

 

Come friday morning, Felicity was unusually quiet and distracted. Oliver didn’t feel like it was his place to ask, but thankfully Digg did it for him.

 

“Felicity? Are you okay?”

 

“Huh?” she came out of her trance.

 

“I asked you if you’re okay.”

 

“Oh! Yeah, I’m fine, Digg. Just thinking about… stuff.” she said gesturing to her head.

 

Nonetheless, Oliver still found it odd. Even a week ago, when they weren’t talking at all, she wasn’t that quiet, and that particular silence, it seemed… more, somehow. He made a note to ask Donna about it. And also start reevaluating his life and why he was worrying so much about someone that he promised himself that he wouldn’t.

 

What Thea said in the hospital the other night struck a chord with him. When he stopped to really think about it, warming up to Felicity seemed inevitable. That didn’t mean that he wasn’t worried about how things would change if he let himself care, he did have a reason to do what he did that not even Felicity’s logic that they should be friends could sway him. Or so he thought. He hasn’t felt this confused in years, so much that he had the mother of all headaches and it wasn’t even 10 am.

 

He knew he was staring at her, and that she was slightly uncomfortable since she couldn’t stop fidgeting and shooting him nervous glances, but her odd behaviour was so uncharacteristic.  _ What’s going on with her? _

 

“Felicity, are you sure you’re okay?” he just couldn’t help himself.

 

“I’m fine, Oliver.” she said a bit strongly as to imply that that was the end of the subject. 

 

He just gave her a silent nod.

 

The ride to work after that was silent with only the sounds of the street to keep them company.

________________________

Although distracted the rest of day, he didn’t get the chance to actually find out what was happening until after dinner, which Felicity didn’t show up to, when he cornered Donna.

 

“Donna, can I talk to you for a minute?”

 

“Sure, honey, what’s up?”

 

“I don’t know if you noticed, but Felicity’s been a little strange today… I was worried that maybe she isn’t feeling well again… Do you know what’s up with her?”

 

Donna gave him a searching look, as if looking directly into his soul, and he switched uncomfortably on his feet.

 

“Today is a particular hard day for her. As to why it is hard, maybe you should ask her.” she raised her eyebrows and gave him a pointed look before sauntering away.

 

“She wouldn’t tell me anything either.” Thea said behind him. If he was a bit startled they both decided not to acknowledge it.

 

“Yeah? Felicity didn’t tell you anything? You guys are pretty close.”

 

“She may be an awesome listener but she rarely talks about herself, big brother. I know about as much as you.”

 

“Have you seen her today? She was just so… somber.”

 

“Yeah, I tried to talk to her, but she barely listened to me and said she had to cancel ‘sister’s saturday’, even then she couldn’t even look at me for more than 3 seconds. But anyway, why do you care, Ollie? Reconsidering your dickish ways, perhaps?” she teased.

 

“No. Maybe… I don’t know, Speedy.” he replied with a sigh.

 

“I don’t know even half of the stuff that happened almost 5 years ago.” he opened his mouth but she held up a hand. “I won’t ask, is none of my business. But, Ollie, the way you’re living… it’s not living, and I think you just don’t know what to do about Felicity because you’re afraid of taking a leap of faith. And I get it, you know? I get why you shut down, and why you don’t open up with anybody, why you never made new friends after the accident. But maybe it’s time to start living again, and who knows, making a new friend it’s a step in the right direction.”

 

“Speedy, I…”

 

“You don’t need to say anything. I’m just saying, you’re still here, still alive. Let yourself live. Oh, and if, like me, you’re itching to know what’s going on with Felicity, she loves red wine.” she winked. “I’m going to bed, let me know it goes, with Felicity and with your new life resolutions.”

 

“How do you know I’m going to think about what you said?” he asked.

 

She stopped by the staircase.

 

“Well, there hasn’t been a day in my life that you didn’t try to make my wishes come true, so I’d say it’s pretty obvious you’ll take my advice.”

 

“You’re pretty sure of yourself, huh?”

 

“You’re just predictable that way, brother dear. Remember: red wine.” she pointed at him. “Good night, Ollie, I love you.”

 

“Night, Speedy. Love you too.”

 

His sister gave him food for thought. He could admit that yes, he was a dick to Felicity from the very first day, he put up walls without even knowing her name and didn’t dare to entertain the thought that maybe she was right, and they should be friends. What really could he bring to this relationship? What did he bring to any relationship? He no longer was the Oliver that was fast friends with someone, or felt comfortable flirting with a woman. Most important of all, he knew that having any kind of relationship with anyone would require him to open up, and he couldn’t just bring himself to do it. Felicity seemed like someone that required honesty from day one, and if he couldn’t do that, why bother?

 

He also knew that his little sister had ulterior motives, and was probably trying to play cupid, hoping Oliver would fall in love with his wife. Felicity was a beautiful woman, with great character, and the Oliver of old would’ve probably made a move by now. Even if he was an asshole, there’s no way Felicity wouldn’t have caught his attention. The Oliver of now, however, just couldn’t fathom how to be friends with her, especially with the way he’s been treating her. Then again, Thea did speak about ‘leaps of faith’, and maybe that’s what he needed to do. He was man enough to know he was tired of the way he was living, but once in a vicious cycle, getting out of it was an herculean effort. 

 

_ But maybe, if I start with wine?... _

 

Oliver turned around and headed for the wine cellar.

_______________________

He spent the whole way from the wine cellar to their wing rethinking his choice. Was he too late to change his mind? Could they be friends? He wouldn’t blame her for not wanting anything to do with him after 4 months of him being a complete dick. By the time he reached her door, he talked himself out of it and into it again about 15 times. In the end, the wish to try something new won and he found himself knocking on her door.

 

“Felicity?” knock. knock. knock. “Felicity, are you there?”

 

There was a beat of silence, and then he heard. 

 

_ Sniffles? Is she crying? _

 

“Felicity? I'm coming in, okay?” he announced opening the door. 

 

What he saw would be forever seared in his brain. 

 

Felicity with her back against the headboard, red rimmed lifeless eyes staring at nothing, holding an old battered panda bear. He's never seen her like this, almost like she was… dead. She looked so vulnerable, so small, it almost felt like something he should never see. Something intimate and raw meant for her, and her only. 

 

Nevertheless he still went to her and took a seat on her bed, to try and shake her out of her stupor. He landed a hand on her thigh and squeezed once. 

 

“Felicity? Hey, look at me.”

 

Still no answer. 

 

“Felicity? Talk to me, please.” he pleaded. 

 

Her hand twitched and she finally looked at him with confused eyes. 

 

“Oliver? What are you doing here?”

 

“I came to see how are you, what's going on? What happened?” 

 

“It's…” he interrupted her. “And don't say nothing.” he gave a patient look and waited for a real answer. 

 

She let out a tired sigh. 

 

“Someone dear to me died 5 years ago and I’m just… I don't know.”

 

“Do you wanna talk about it?” he took her hand in his. 

 

“I’m fine, Oliver, you don't need to stay here with me. Did my mom put you up to this?”

 

“Donna has nothing to do with this. If you wanna talk, I'll listen, ok? Or I could just drink this wine I brought.” he lifted the bottle, waving in front of his face. “Either way, I don't think you should be alone right now.”

 

She ran her fingers through her messy hair and decided to give in. 

 

“Did you bring glasses? Because I think we're gonna need it.”

 

Oliver uncorked the bottle with a pop and poured the wine into the glasses that he also brought with him. He handed her one, took of his shoes and sat more comfortably against her headboard. 

 

“Okay, talk. You said someone died. What was their name?” he guessed starting from the beginning was a safe bet. 

 

“His name was Cooper and he was…” she hesitated, like saying his name physically hurt her. “Well, he was my boyfriend.”

 

“Oh.”  _ I guess we have more in common than I thought.  _

 

“Yeah, he committed suicide in prison on this day 5 years ago. Hung himself. Which is so cliche when you think about it, right? But also seems the only practical way of ending your life when you're living in a cell.”

 

The way she talked while she took a sip of wine was detached, almost clinical. Oliver squeezed her hand. 

 

“I'm sorry, Felicity. It must have been hard.” What one could say besides that when confronted with that kind of loss?

 

“Yeah, it was. I used to have nightmares just like yours, you know? That's why I tried to help you that night.” she stated matter of factly. 

 

He was at a loss of words, bringing up that night made him uncomfortable with many things, one of them being the way he treated her. 

 

“I'm sorry for being rude that night.”

 

“It's okay, I get it.” she waved him off. “We're not close, and I’d just seen you in a vulnerable state. I was mad for a long time, but then I remembered that I kinda did the same with my mom. So who am I to point fingers?”

 

“Still, it wasn't okay.” he pressed. 

 

“No, it wasn't. But I try not to cling to the past when I can.” she took another sip. 

 

“Cooper, was he nice? A good boyfriend?” he found himself insanely curious about his wife's past. 

 

“Cooper was… well, Cooper. We loved each other, we challenged each other and like most couples we didn't always see eye to eye.”

 

“Do you miss him?” 

 

“Yeah, always. I don't know if he was still alive we'd still be together, I think I'd change eventually, regardless of his death, and maybe that would be the end of us. But at least he'd be alive, you know?” tears were falling freely by the time she finished and she put aside her finished glass of wine.  

 

Oliver encircled her with his arms and she let her head rest on his shoulder while she cried for her lost love. He caressed her hair and made soothing sounds, hoping to give her some solace. 

 

“Oliver?” she whispered 

 

“Yeah?”

 

“Do you think it ever gets easier? Do you think someday our losses won't hurt as much?”

 

He went still.  _ Our losses? She knew? How much? _

 

“Who told you?”

 

“Does it matter?”

 

He sighed. “Not really, I think.” He curled a strand of Felicity’s hair on his fingers, rested his head above hers and concentrated on a spot on the duvet. “Whether we like it or not, our losses shaped us, I don’t know if gets easier, but I think eventually you get used to the absence.”

 

“I don’t know if that’s a good thing.”

 

“Me either, but it’s what I got.” he said against her hair.

 

“Fair enough.” She handed him her glass. “Pour it up, pretty boy.”

 

He looked amusedly down at her.

 

“You think I’m pretty?’

 

“Oh, please! You know you’re pretty, your ladies man past can attest to that.” She slapped his thigh.

 

“Are you drunk?”

 

“I’m barely tipsy, I’m not a lightweight! Just give me my wine.”

 

“As you wish.”

 

“Wait, did you just make a reference?”

 

“Felicity, I’m not a savage, everyone’s seen Princess Bride at least once.”

 

“Still, you’re… you.”

 

He took a sip of his wine and gave her a calculating look.

 

“I would ask what’s that supposed to mean, but something tells me I don’t wanna know.”

 

“Wise choice.” she quipped.

 

“Hmmmhm, are you feeling better? Or do you wanna watch a movie?”

 

“If there’s wine and the movie is Princess Bride, count me in.” she answered turning on the Tv and snuggling further into his embrace. He pulled the covers around their legs.

 

“Hey, Oliver?”

 

“Yeah?”

 

“Thank you.”

 

“You’re welcome.”

 

As the tales of Buttercup and Westley unfolded on screen, they sipped their wine and kept a comfortable silence. About half the movie in, Oliver felt Felicity go lax and her even breathing indicated that she was finally resting. He was glad that he listened to his sister. Ultimately, he knew she was right. He hasn’t been really living, and that conscious choice that once protected him, was now only in his way. At the end of the day, it wasn’t a choice between being friends with Felicity or not: it was a choice between two sides of himself, and how did he want to live his life. Being stuck in his past mistakes and regrets was weighing him down, and that’s not who he wants to be. The easiness he found with Felicity, even when tinged with the pain of the loss of someone dear, was just the push he needed. He wasn’t stupid to think they’d be fast friends. But at least now he was willing to try.

 

Filled with renewed purpose, he gave Felicity’s forehead a kiss, settled her on her bed, collected the empty wine bottle and glasses, and left with a serene smile on his face.

**Author's Note:**

> Tumblr: bowienarrow
> 
> Twitter: bowienarrow_


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